More than 125 high schools and academies in the Washington metropolitan area participated in the essay contest, which asked students to record their observations on the aspects of elder care in America and suggest ways to improve the quality of life or to discuss the impact of science and technology on the care and treatment of America’s aging population.

Colin Powell Elementary will hold an open house and community picnic on Thursday, Aug. 28, from 2:30-4 p.m. A ribbon-cutting and flag-raising ceremony is slated for 2:30 p.m., with students from all four of Powell's feeder schools participating. Parents and students may visit the classrooms and meet the teachers and specialists, and fun activities are planned for the kindergartners.

Bull Run Elementary School's PTA is sponsoring a back-to-school picnic on Thursday, Aug. 28 from 4-6 p.m. Staff, students and their families are invited to socialize with each other. The picnic will coincide with the school's Fifth Annual Open House, which runs from 3-5 p.m. The picnic is the PTA's first event to kick off its new Total Team Effort Program (TTE). The TTE program has been planned as a collaborative effort between students, their families and school staff, with the goal to promote Respect, Responsibility, Success, Appreciation, Leadership, and Citizenship.

Brookfield Elementary will welcome students and families to the new school year with a new families orientation on Thursday, Aug. 28 at 9 a.m. Returning students and families will attend the annual Brookfield Open House later in the morning from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Students will visit classrooms, meet teachers, take tours of the school and meet with fellow classmates in anticipation of opening day on Sept. 2. Brookfield Elementary will have full day kindergarten for all its kindergarten students.

Rocky Run Middle School is holding a Get Ready for School Fair on Thursday, Aug. 28. Drop in anytime between 5 and 7:30 p.m. Take care of such things as purchasing P.E. uniforms, Rocky Run T-shirts/sweatshirts, lunch cards, and early bird discounts on yearbook sales. Sign-up to receive important school information, the school newsletter, and join the PTA. Food and drinks will be available for purchase.

Liberty Middle School invites parents and students to attend a back-to-school fair on Friday, Aug. 29, from 5-8 p.m. on the school grounds. Students who return their emergency care cards, FCPS Standards of Conduct for riding buses (must be completed even if the student does not ride the bus), and Internet Acceptable Use Policy, will receive locker assignments. Gym uniforms, lunch cards, spirit wear, PTA membership, PTA Fundraising Book covers, and yearbooks will be available for purchase. Sign up to receive important school information, the electronic newsletter and reactivate your Giant card for the new school year. Come meet the school principal and other staff members while touring the school. Visit www.libertypta.org.

Clifton Elementary is also holding an open house. It will be on Friday, Aug. 29, from 2-3 p.m. Call 703-988-8000.

Back-to-school supply drive. Help outfit needy children with school supplies. Supplies needed include book bags, pencils, erasers, pens, crayons, markers, supply boxes, loose paper, dividers, composition notebooks, folders, binders, etc. Donations should be dropped off at Century 21 New Millennium, 5109 Westfields Blvd., Centreville, in the Sully Station Shopping Center next to Safeway. To arrange a pick-up, call 703-818-0111. Donations will be collected until Aug. 31.

The Chantilly High School Music Department will be knocking on doors to offer an opportunity to participate in the Chantilly "Tag Day" on Saturday, Sept. 13. Band, chorus, color guard and orchestra members will be canvassing the Chantilly attendance area all day long.

In exchange for a donation to the Music Department, the students give a "TAG," or ticket, for free admission to one of several selected music performances at Chantilly High School. Community support is important to help defray the cost of instruments, equipment, music, trips and uniforms not covered by Fairfax County Public Schools.

Westfield music students will be visiting neighborhoods on Saturday, Sept. 20 for the annual Tag Day event. Students from band, choir and orchestra will be requesting donations for the award-winning music program for the 2003-2004 school year. Donations will be used to cover the costs related to instructors, instruments, uniforms, costumes and competitions that are not covered by Fairfax County.

A newly expanded alumni Web site for graduates of Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is now available at www.fcps.edu/alumhome.htm, where alumni can find information about upcoming reunions and events. Nearly 50 reunions are listed on the site, with links to individual reunion Web sites for more information. An alumnus can also add his or her name to elementary, middle, and high school directories by filling out a form with his or her name and e-mail address.

Centreville Preschool Inc., a non-profit co-op preschool, has a limited number of slots available for 3- to 4-year-olds in its afternoon programs beginning in September. CPI is located at 13916 Braddock Road. Call CPI at 703-830-5656.

Pleasant Valley Preschool, a non-profit, cooperative preschool, has openings in the 4-year-old class for the 2003-2004 school year. The school has been in operation for 23 years and is located in the Greenbriar Community Center on Stringfellow Road. The school offers parents a great opportunity to be involved in the nurturing development of their children. There is a well-qualified teacher, assistant teacher and participating parent on hand for each class. Class size is limited to 15 children. Call the membership chairman at 703-378-6046 or the school at 703-378-6911.

The Clifton Presbyterian Church Preschool has openings in its 5-year-old program for the 2003-2004 school year. This class meets every afternoon from 12:30-3:30 p.m. Call the preschool office at 703-830-3175.

Robinson Secondary is holding its 10-year reunion for the class of 1993. The event will take place at the Hyatt Fair Lakes in Fairfax on Oct. 18. Call 800-655-7971 or visit Great Reunions' Web site at greatreunions.com.

Fairfax County Public Schools is a winner of the prestigious CIO 100 award from Chief Information Officer (CIO) magazine. The school system received its award Aug. 19 at the CIO 100 Symposium and Awards Ceremony in Colorado Springs. FCPS is the only K-12 school system recognized among the award winners; most organizations on the list are private-sector companies, including Dell Inc., FedEx Corp., J.P. Morgan Chase and Co., and Marriott International, Inc. The 2003 CIO 100 award recognizes organizations around the world that excel in positive business performance through resourceful information technology (IT) management and practices.

The Chantilly High School Class of 1984 is in the process of planning its 20-year high school reunion for the fall of 2004. The Web site is www.communityzero.com/chs84/. Or e-mail gdepalma2@nyc.rr.com or sjs8688@aol.com.

World Heritage is seeking local host families for high school boys and girls from Spain, France, Germany, Thailand, Great Britain, Japan, Mexico or Brazil through World Heritage International Student Exchange Program. Host families provide room, board and guidance for a teenager living thousands of miles from home. Students are well-screened and are selected based on academic performance, English proficiency, teacher recommendations and personal interviews. Couples, single parents and families with or without children in the home are encouraged to apply. The students arrive shortly before school begins in fall 2003. Call Wyndy Fredrick at 1-800-888-9040 or 703-435-8948 or visit the Web site at www.world-heritage.org.

A Chantilly High Alumni Club is being started by Debra Weeks Alexander and her husband Joe, co-presidents of the Chantilly Athletic Booster Club. They hope to reunite Chantilly grads, as well as their parents, and get them involved in school spirit to make Chantilly a real, hometown school. Call the Chantilly Booster Hotline at 703-912-4002 and leave a message, or call the Alexanders at 703-620-3434.